Ready for a spot of Skiing?Atari 2600 photo by David Moore/Bionic Disco

The Atari 2600 console hit stores 35 years ago this week on October 14, 1977. Originally called the Atari VCS, the unit shipped with two Joysticks, two paddle controllers and a copy of the cartridge-based game Combat.

“While Atari first burst onto the video game scene in 1972 with Pong, for many gamers, the company’s lasting legacy will always be the Atari 2600.

October 14 marks the 35th birthday of the legendary game console, which landed with a bang in 1977. It wasn’t the first home video game system — that honor belongs to the Magnavox Odyssey — but it quickly became the most widely adopted and set the standard for many, many years.”

2 Responses to 35 Years Ago This Week: Atari 2600 Console Launches

31 years ago this past August, I got my first Atari 2600…from George Clooney’s mother! My dad loved it more than I did even! Still had it in nearly perfect condition–with lots of games until the great basement flood of 2010. Sigh…